


Affliction

by petite-neko (petiteneko)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Angst, Depression, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 20:37:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3395540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petiteneko/pseuds/petite-neko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Temptation. Desire. Passion. I never knew how extreme these emotions could be. And I never knew how easy it was to just give in. That was, until I met the incarnation of said emotions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Need

**Author's Note:**

> .xxx. indicates a scene change.
> 
> Italic sentences are used as a flashback or a flashback as a dream, with bolds used as emphasis.
> 
> Italics and bolds are used for emphasis on single or a few words if alone in a normal sentence.
> 
> (Direct thoughts are typically in parenthesis)

I don’t know how it ended up this way. I don’t know what had caused the twist in my road of fate. Was it temptation in the form of something I never dreamed of in my home in the skies? Of a sensuality I had never allowed myself to feel? Was it a test that I had unknowingly failed?

Whatever the cause, I was tied up in something I never even fathomed.

The way those taunting, threatening words whispered into my ear… Of those hands roaming my body in a rough way. The possessive way I was held.

It wasn’t like any times before, or any times after. Because instead of trembling and shivering in fear – I was overwhelmed with desire.

.xxx.

Ghirahim was a perplexing and dreadful enemy. I never knew what to expect no matter how many times I faced him. To be honest, he terrified me. I knew that he was just _toying_ with me whenever we battled. Why? I know not. Perhaps it was to torment me – prevent me from reuniting with Zelda – and let me try and try only to fail. But I would not fail. I would rise again and again. I would defeat Ghirahim and his master.

_Who knew the hero actually would do such a thing…_

I closed my eyes and pushed back Ghirahim’s voice back. I had to push that moment of weakness away. The one time I slipped up. The time I gave in.

Quite honestly, I should have seen it coming. The way he had haunted my dreams, my waking thoughts. The way I would feel those gloved hands when they really weren’t there.

It hadn’t changed anything though. We still fought. His flamboyance and lack for personal space didn’t worsen or lighten up.

It was just a simple fling.

Albeit one that shouldn’t have happened.

.xxx.

_I woke from a nightmare in a distant cave. I had no time to find a statue and return home. The silent realm took too long._

_“After everything you’ve been through, a simple guardian of the Goddess terrifies you so much to leave you plagued with terrors in the night?”_

_That mocking laughter that I recognized made me reach immediately for my sword – only to be stopped by a foot placed on the blade._

_“Oh come now, I was just merely passing by, only to be blessed with the sound of your wondrous screams. If I truly wished to kill you now, Sky Child, you would be dead by now. But it is not my way to kill you in your sleep.” He leaned down and whispered into my ear – those silvery bangs brushing my face. “No, I will take you down in battle, to see the light of hope fading from your eyes as you realize just how utterly weak you truly are.”_

_I glared weakly at Ghirahim, my arms moving up to push him away. I **should** have put more effort into it, but I was too worn out from that wretched dream and what caused it._

_While normally, the demon lord would have magicked himself away, something was different. There was a strange and yet enthralling look in his eyes. It froze me in place. Mesmerized by it, I was drawn in, not noticing that the hands that had begun to wander my body were also pulling me closer as well._

_“It is rather cold out, isn’t it?”_

_Those words broke the spell, and I realized just how low Ghirahim’s hands were._

I woke with a start and ran my hand through my hair with a shiver. Now, those brown eyes and that silver hair haunted me in a completely different manner. I was left awake, an intense _need_ for something, and something I would most definitely not seek out.

Or should I say _someone._

Not even for Zelda did I have such an impassioned _need_ for. This desire had seemed to spring out of nowhere, and I had been drawn into it without even thinking about it. And it completely _baffled_ me. I have no idea where it spawned from or _why._ Just that it was there. Begging me for more.

But I couldn’t allow another slip up. I couldn’t give into the temptation that was Ghirahim.

.xxx.

While our interactions really hadn’t changed, it didn’t mean that it hadn’t changed in my mind.

Those fingers on my shoulders, that hair brushing past my face, those painted lips whispering into my ear… it was all so reminiscent of that one night. I bit the inside of my cheek, pushing back those memories.

Because those phantom hands wandered my body. That ghostly voice whispered words into my ear.

_Why don’t I warm you up?_

And I couldn’t stop that surge of desire that happened before, and even now.

.xxx.

_“My, my. Look what we have here…”_

_Those violating hands gripped me tightly, ripping a cry from my throat._

_It had gotten too far, too quickly. One moment it was just teasing, taunting words, and the next hands were gripping into my skin, teeth grazing over my neck, nails scratching at my thighs._

_My mind was swirling with desire. It was swirling with lust._

_And even now I could only think of the haunts that would occur during the day. The way I would feel those caresses from before._

_Should I have seen the signs? Of this building carnal craving that Ghirahim had seemingly awoke in me?_

_But why? I hated this man – demon. He ripped Zelda from the skies! He threatened my very world!_

_And yet here I was, at this very demon lord’s thrall, my throat crying out in pleasure. Feeling as those arms that had threatened my life were now teasing out that tension that had built up without any knowledge._

_“I am going to make you scream so loudly you will be unable to make a sound when we are done Sky Child…”_

It was awkward dealing with these such problems – so I often left Fi elsewhere. (Typically in my room – although it was rather precarious when I had been stuck to rest on the surface.)

And it really didn’t help that my mind would just continue the affair as I finished myself off.

Because I could never replicate that bruising grip Ghirahim had on me. I could never recreate the sultry words he used.

It just wasn’t enough to feed this desire that only seemed to grow and grow.

.xxx.

Sometimes I just watched him. Sometimes I pondered him.

It was rather curious as to why he didn’t kill me the first time we battled. If he used those metal arms that he had in the first battle I certainly wouldn’t have survived.

But then I caught myself. This was happening far too often. I was thinking too much on that narcissistic demon lord. I had a mission to accomplish.

_Is this really what you want Sky Child? Or is it what you **need?**_

.xxx.

_I had begged him. I had cried out to him. When he had taunted me to answer what I wanted – I really could not answer. I knew not of what I truly wanted. The inner conflict was hard to see through._

_However I did know I wanted this to continue – wherever it went._

_I wanted to be blinded by this sheer passion. I wanted to drown in whatever sensations he gave me. To be suffocated by his heat._

_I **needed** it._

Perhaps this wasn’t the best time to have had one of those dreams. Perhaps it was only because of the heat of the place I was.

I mean – surrounded by the little demons that served Ghirahim – really wasn’t the best time to wake up, a trembling desire taking a hold of you.

( _Especially_ when said Demon Lord came prancing up to your cell.)

I swallowed and clutched my fists into little balls. At seeing his very presence I could feel as my pulse increased, as said desire only worsened. 

“My, My, what have we here?” He mocked out. “While my little minions had informed me of your capture, I had paid no heed. However, when they informed me that they heard strange noises coming from you I just _had_ to investigate. What nightmare plagues you this time Sky Child?”

_It should be **me** who plagues you at night hero. Not some guardian of the Goddess._

I swallowed in trepidation and had to squirm in the cell I was put in, I just _couldn’t_ think of a reply. Not when the Demon Lord who has been haunting me stood before me while I was overcome with my lust for him.

It had occurred to me that I was probably moaning out from the reactions of my dream – and honestly it disturbed me that the dreams had such an effect on me. But at least, those stupid things didn’t know the difference of a moan of pain and one of pleasure.

_I would have preferred your cries of pain, but I suppose this will do for now._

But – oh – Ghirahim most certainly knew the difference. The last time he was there when I woke…

“While listening to the sound of my own voice is quite pleasing, I _did_ ask you a question Sky Child.”

His voice was becoming angry, harsh, _commanding._ It made me shiver – _whimper._ Just _what_ was this hold he had over me?

If he had an eyebrow it would have raised – although the skin of the area did.

With a snap of his fingers, the bokoblins had vanished and the Demon Lord had entered my cell. “They _did_ say they thought they heard my name…” He pondered.

I could feel as my cheeks heated up. _Shit!_ Not only had I _moaned_ but I called out his name as well?

“Interesting…” He leaned over me, those intense, brown eyes boring into mine.

It took all of my strength to stay still, to not lunge forward, to not unleash all of this pressure building up inside of me. The feel of his breath on my skin, the close proximity of his body… it was driving me crazy. I almost snapped when his fingers danced down the skin of my arm. I couldn’t stop the shaky exhale however. But I _still_ tried to deny myself. I _still_ fought another moment of weakness from happening.

This was Ghirahim, the one who whispered promises of death into my ear, the one trying to bring ruin upon this world, the one trying to sacrifice my best friend to his master. I had to fight. I couldn’t give in! (And yet, it was those very lips that whispered such explicit things into my ear. It was those very arms that brought such pleasure to me.) No! I couldn’t! I mustn’t!

A hand simply rest on my thigh and I had to bite my lip and curl my toes into the ground to stop myself from reacting. My body wanted him so bad. It remembered what he did. (It wouldn’t let me _forget._ ) It craved him. _I_ craved him. I was probably trembling – although I’m not too sure if it was with the effort to stop myself, or the excitement of what would come if I simply gave in.

That _long, wondrous,_ tongue licked the shell of my ear. “Has my beauty and magnificence left you speechless Sky Child~?”

I strained – Oh how I strained! Another whimper left my throat as hard as I tried to keep it down.

I could see how he licked his lips. “And here I was, thinking of ways to torment and torture you, but you obviously seem to be doing a wondrous job of it on your own.” Slowly, sensually, and teasingly that tongued moved. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing to me and his fingers on my thigh began to move in small circles.

I muffled the moan by biting down tightly on my lips, and clutching my eyes shut. I could not give in. **I could not.**

It was a _one time_ thing.

I could not get involved.

I could not _want_ this.

This was wrong. This wasn’t right. No. No. I can’t.

_It feels exquisite, doesn’t it? The feel of my perfect hands on your body._

No! No! Stop! I practically begged my body.

 _Tell me_ – it was an order – _what do you want?_

I remembered so very vividly every action. I remembered how he thrust into me in the end. I remembered how he hit _that spot_ and how _good_ I felt. How I cried out for him to do it again. And again. And again. How I didn’t even _care_ that it was my enemy that I was with.

My grip on my lips loosened. My head tilted back. I just _couldn’t not_ do this. “Ghirahim…” I whispered out in a whimper.

“Yes Link?”

I was almost surprised at the sincerity of those words, and perhaps touched even.

“Again… please. I need you.”

But that was gone in an instant, and that ego back in place. “You _need_ me Sky Child? Whatever for?” That hand moved closer and another whimper left my throat – not suppressed like the other.

“Y-You _know_ what – ahhn…~” However at the expectant look in his eyes, I knew I had to say more. And the not-knowing card will not work this time around. “Y-You. Inside…” And here, Ghirahim rewarded me with his palm at the point of my desire. “Ahh! M-Moving mmn~ T-Thrusting….” It was getting hard to think, to function. My head had tilted up and back, hand clutching at the dirt.

“Such a shame they never thought of using cuffs on you… that would have been fun.”

I could barely understand what it was that he was saying. All that mattered was that _he didn’t stop._

“Ahm! Ghirahim! _Please!_ ”

He chuckled darkly in my ear. “Why Should I? Seeing you in such _need_ is just so… _satisfying._ To know that nobody but I can elicit such a delectable reaction from you. That you sit here _needing_ my touch for absolution…”

It wasn’t a whimper that left me, but a whine. I don’t know how, but it was _his_ fault! If it weren’t for him––

I screamed at the bite to my neck.

–– Just what was my trail of thought?

By Hylia! I was burning!

“It’s almost as if you are admitting that you belong to me~” That chuckle that was next to my ear was harsh, accusing, avaricious. “Say it. Say you are mine.” _Dangerous._

I shivered – _quaked_ – and something deep down told me not to.

_Say it or I won’t grant you release._

I couldn’t tell if those words were reality or a recollection anymore. But it convinced me nonetheless. “I’m – ah! – yours!”

“ _Again._ Use my name – _Hero._ ”

It just was _never_ enough, was it?

Although when he removed that hand from my groin I whimpered and relented.

“G-Ghirahim…” Was that a moan I heard from him? “I-I belong to you…”

If I thought he was possessive the last time I was completely wrong. The grip he had on my waist was almost suffocating. The way I could feel that erection of his pressing against me…

“You’re _mine_ little hero of the goddess…”

And that kiss! The way he forced his tongue into my mouth, claiming everything he could! His remaining hand moved over my body – leaving deep scratches that would scar. And when his teeth joined in on the marking – biting, and scratching... His lips even left deep bruises just from sucking on my skin!

I was his, and he wasn’t leaving it up to dispute. He wasn’t going to let me forget it. To let me leave it as something I could just shrug off and ignore. Or push it off to the side and pretend nothing happened.

While I probably _should_ have regretted it, I did not, No, those marks left me crying out in pleasure – in sheer _blis¬s_ ¬. I clung to him, and maybe left minor marks of my own whenever my nails dug into his back. He got particularly rough whenever I called out his name – drawing blood only to lick at it, that sadistic grin on his face.

But it was getting to be too much and my cries turned into whimpers. “G-Ghira... Ghirahim – _please!_ ” I would beg him, I _needed_ attention! I was so damn _aroused_ and it was his fault! I _needed_ release, and he was only making it worse! The way he would drive that pleasure through my body and yet neglecting the part of me that needed it the most!

“Just _fuck_ me already!”

My words seemed to surprise him – but not for long as per norm. For that sadistic, dark smirk twisted those painted lips.

(How was it that they weren’t smeared?)

“Certainly Sky Child.”

He took my pants off (my shirt having been lost during his marking of me) and positioned me. Two fingers entered me, moving, stretching, _prodding_ me. His long body stretched over mine, his hips grinding against mine, his voice whispering things into my ear.

“You put such _faith_ in me mortal, such _trust._ ”

“I suppose knowing only I can make you scream this way is compensation for not being ones of pain.”

“What would your little spirit-maiden think if she knew you were _fraternizing_ with me in this manner?”

The last comment made me wince and flinch. “Shut it.” And when he opened his mouth to retort, I just kissed him, crying into his mouth when he hit that spot. I minded not when he took that opportunity to ravage my mouth.

It wasn’t long until those fingers were removed. While the preparation wasn’t much I suppose I should be grateful I got any at all. I could see the restraint in his eyes. It made me wonder why it was there at all…

When he thrust into me that thought was lost. I think my groan of pain only spurred him on and he continued to move. At first I asked myself what I had gotten myself into.

_Oh **do** relax you weakling. Unless you **enjoy** the pain. Then just tell me and I **will** ensure it is as excruciating as possible~_

But then he hit that spot and stars blinded my vision. I screamed out and pushed back. I begged him. More. _Again._ **Harder. _Faster._**

(I think he liked hearing me beg.)

“Touch me! Please!” It took a few repeats until I was granted it. Until his hand _finally_ returned to my cock. He stroked me, squeezed me – pleasured me.

It didn’t take long until I finished.

Maybe I screamed his name or something because as I came to he was moving rapidly inside of me, a warmth filling me.

And then.

“Fucking Hell!”

And that sadistic, dark, mocking laughter rang out.

“I know you will get out of this prison somehow. I’ll be seeing you _my_ Sky Child.”

_But who can fault you. I **am** perfection after all…_


	2. Greed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .xxx. = a change in scene.
> 
> There are not a lot of flashbacks in this chapter
> 
> (Direct thoughts/denial are typically in parenthesis)
> 
> Strike-throughs are also used as denial

After he left I sat there and curled up on myself. I didn’t know what to think, what to feel, what to do. I was at a loss and I was so confused. There was a part of me that wanted – no… _needed_ – him and I just didn’t understand _why._ Why I needed _this._ The other part of me hated him even more so than I already hated him. Slowly, but surely, he was corrupting me, corroding what sanity and purity I had left in me.

How had things ended up this way? Why was it that I was left wanting over and over again? How had I become so… intoxicated by him? Time and time again I pondered this. I pondered just what it was that he had over me, what it was that drew me to him. 

Only once, I had told myself. Only once! Not again! And now, I was sitting here, filled with his essence as I succumbed once more to him.

Was it just some sort of physical attraction? I mean, sure he was attractive in a sense, that had never been an influence (okay, maybe it was but not a _main_ influence) in my preference. Not to mention _preference!_ I had never looked at a man the way I look at Ghirahim… I just didn’t understand it. I mean, there was nothing attractive about his personality! He’s a sadistic bastard, hell-bent on destroying my very world! He’s taunting! Selfish! Arrogant! Narcissistic!

Or… was it something else?

I _wasn’t_ this shallow to succumb to just physical appearances! Especially to _need_ it! Something must have broken in me. Something must have malfunctioned during my time down here. Because I don’t know how I could ever have wanted to be insulted during sex.

Just _what_ was wrong with me?

I just couldn’t understand it. Was it just so deep down inside of me that I couldn’t fathom just what exactly it was?

All I knew was that there was something so magnetic about him that drew me close and wouldn’t let me go.

I was like an addict.

I couldn’t get enough of him.

And I _detested_ it.

.xxx.

Perhaps I could have been more energized. Perhaps I should have had more drive when I had escaped from the cell and the bokoblins, finding my equipment and items. But the recent events had bogged me down (not only mentally, but physically. The marks he left on my skin were aching and stinging, and oh, my lower back… he wasn’t particularly gentle…)

By the time I found Fi, even she showed what little she could of concern. I’m certain that she knew. She could sense Ghirahim’s presence on me. (And probably still _inside_ of me. I haven’t had a chance to wash up…)

“Master Link, perhaps it is time for you to rest…”

Oh… how I wish I could just _rest_. That I could just _stop_ and _escape_ from all of this. Never have to see that accursed demon lord anymore! Forget about all of this! I was lost and confused in my own mind. I didn’t understand anything anymore!

I just wanted to abandon everything.

It wasn’t this mission. It wasn’t! The bokoblin and moblins and other demons and monsters I could stand. But…

_Ghirahim._

He was driving me crazy. Insane. Confused. _Deprived._

I couldn’t stand it anymore!

The questions he made me ask myself! The actions that he made me do! I regretted it all… all of it… I didn’t want it to continue.

I was so bewildered.

Why was I attracted to him?

Why was he attracted to me! (Or was he just having his fun with me?)

And why were there those moments that made me pause and stop over and over? (His restraint. The genuine way he looked. The way he phrased things…)

I have heard of people who had sex just to have sex and both parties consented but…

For some reason this just didn’t seem that way.

It was far too impassioned to be.

I just wanted this all to go away. To stop.

(But I couldn’t. My body craved him. It needed him.)

I needed him.

I needed this to stop.

.xxx.

I took a break. I paused my quest for a moment if only to relax. To try and get things out of my head. And for a while it seemed to work, and gradually I continued my search for the songs.

While yes, I did have those recollections and hauntings from time to time they didn’t bother me as much. I felt more… _relaxed._

The nights wouldn’t leave me in utter _need._ I wouldn’t wake up requiring release.

The days wouldn’t leave me trembling in desire.

The whisper of his words wouldn’t have me shivering in anticipation.

This freedom was bliss, albeit a short lived one.

Because I began to think. Ponder.

Why did they not bother me as they had before?

Why did _he_ not bother me as much as before?

Why wasn’t I overcome with frustration?

And one day, it hit me.

It was because I no longer denied myself. It was because, as much as I loathed it, I had _accepted_ this desire. That, deep down, I knew that if another opportunity came, I would give in again. To let him make me feel that blinding pleasure. To let him make me _forget,_ even if just for a moment, about everything else.

(I needed him to forget about him.)

And it sickened me.

.xxx.

The lack of his presence in the land perplexed me. Typically I was following where he ended up. But, no, I hadn’t seen him since… Eldin.

It didn’t worry me. No, of course it didn’t. _He_ wasn’t following me. _He_ wasn’t trying to stop me. _I_ wasn’t his objective. _I_ wasn’t what he wanted. Of course I wasn’t worried over that.

Why would I be?

I was just a way to unleash his passions and he was just a way to unleash mine. (No matter how hard I tried to deny it.) Sure we were enemies, but he wasn’t trying to stop me. I wasn’t a threat in his eyes, just a little nuisance. 

It didn’t bother me. It didn’t make me challenge the Lanaryu’s challenges near the end of my collection of the song. And I definitely did not fantasize over the feigned fights we had.

.xxx.

Normally the nights didn’t hassle me anymore, but something was wrong. It was most definitely wrong. It was out of place, and the dreams that had stopped pestering me had started pestered me again. I was feeling this pit in my stomach, and I couldn’t place just what it was. I had even avoided returning to home in the skies.

(Even when I had a strong, sneaking suspicion that that is where I was to go.)

It wasn’t quite dread, nor was it nervousness, and fear did not at all feel like this. I could not just understand what this feeling was. It had gotten to the point where, according to Groose, it had even affected my mood and disposition. The joy had gone from my face, my temper had become short, and I was not as social as before.

I excused it as a change the mission had wrought upon me.

And I suppose _part_ of that was true, for whenever I looked upon the doors that sealed Zelda’s sleeping body, as I contemplated my journey until now, as I watched Groose and the kind old lady, or even as I imagined returning home, the feeling worsened. The pit became deeper, there was this acrid taste in my mouth, and _anger_ boiled up out of nowhere.

Which, of course, lead to _even more_ battles with the desert dragon. And yet, that did not seem to quell it. Perhaps the anger, but the other symptoms only seemed to increase in compensation for that loss. Nor did the wandering that I had recently picked up help either.

(I wasn’t searching. The fact that I always ended up in the temples we had met was just a coincidence of it all…)

And, I knew Groose was concerned, but… he didn’t have to mention he knew I went wandering again due to my sourer-than-normal mood. He didn’t _need_ to inquire if I knew what to do next. And mentioning that I hardly looked where he _knew_ Zelda slumbered anymore was completely off-bounds!

(I’m not going to even comment on the fact that he noticed I hadn’t returned to Skyloft in days…)

Because part of me knew, and I didn’t want to think about it, I didn’t want to accept it. The more I wandered, the more I fought, the more I realized, and I just… _couldn’t stomach it._ I couldn’t stomach the reason…

The reason why I didn’t want my mission to end. The reason why I didn’t like this feeling of loneliness and _neglect._ The reason why I felt like it wasn’t fair that _I didn’t matter._

I subconsciously rubbed at one of the many marks he had left on me in Eldin. I was standing at one of the few places I _hadn’t_ been since I collected the song from Lanaryu’s Dragon. And as I stared down into the depths of the hole in the Ancient Cistern, I knew I was hesitating, I knew I was holding back. But I also knew that the next time Ghirahim and I met it would be for the last time. That whoever won that battle would have to destroy the other, and I _didn’t_ want to accept that. I didn’t want that finality and that yes, my wanderings _were_ searches because I _wanted_ to find him before that fateful meeting. That yes, I wanted him, I _craved_ him, I _**needed**_ him.

And yet that _reason_ still stuck out like a sore thumb despite of it all, and even though I didn’t want to accept it, the very fact that I was standing here was the proof that my war was over, that I _had_ to stomach it. My standing here was evidence that there was something I needed to know, something that I needed to prove. (And part of me wanted him to know all of this.)

_I was not just a gadfly._


	3. Creed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .xxx. = a change in scene/time.
> 
> Italic sentences typically represent sentences or thoughts from previous chapters/times. (Although there are some that are merely thoughts. They are easy to differentiate)
> 
> (Direct thoughts/denial are typically in parenthesis)
> 
> Denial are also stricken through

The underground was just how I remembered it: dark, ominous, _creepy._ I hated how this place felt, it was as if everything that was wrong in the world belonged here – _was_ here.

Naturally, that’s why I thought that Ghirahim would be here.

I had contemplated going down here earlier when I had returned to the boss room, but I hesitated. Perhaps it was because I knew that he _might_ be down here. That even though I had been searching for him I wasn’t _truly_ ready. That I didn’t know what I would do _if I had_ found him. No, not like now…

Glancing out in a general direction I wondered – did Ghirahim sense me now? (He _surely_ must have sensed me if he was here when I was here earlier…) Did Ghirahim _know_ I was here? A shiver travelled down my spine that had nothing to do with the eeriness of this place. Just… _what_ he thinking knowing that I was looking for him…? Surely he would come to that conclusion if he knew I was here _twice._

_Seeing you in such **need** is just so… **satisfying…**_

I had to resist yet another shudder.

“Master, I advise you do not linger here overlong. You have seen what this place does to the bokoblins.”

Perhaps Fi’s words were yet another reason that I had not gone down here earlier. They fed my fears of just what Ghirahim was doing to me. He’s made me doubt, he’s _changed me_ despite all of my efforts to deny it. It wasn’t necessarily a _bad_ change per se but it was one I didn’t want, one I didn’t like. He had awoken this side of me… and I wasn’t certain if I _wanted_ it awake, I didn’t yet know if I _liked_ it… I now had memories that would haunt me for the rest of my days. He was a disease that had cursed me in an entirely different way than those unfortunate bokoblins.

He was my affliction.

And, as I approached that lake of poisonous miasma, as I saw _him_ , as I watched him lay there, floating above the island’s debris of death and decay, I knew that even _he_ knew that. It didn’t matter that his eyes were closed to reading, it didn’t matter that he did not move from that almost-seductive pose, or that he did not show any indication that he knew I had approached, I knew that he knew. That he knew of this… _curse._

Part of me had been gradually accepting of this, it had gradually come to terms with it, and eventually _I_ had accepted it. However, what I do not think either of us had expected was for it to come this far. No longer was it a curse on me, or a curse on him as well. No – it was a curse _between_ us. Ghirahim was just supposed to be a mere distraction that I would overcome, I was just… an annoying little _pet_ that he would discard once his goal was achieved. We weren’t supposed to be this… _attached_. I was not supposed to be this… _addicted._ He was not supposed to be this… _amused._ Both of us knew our roles. Both of us knew that this was supposed to be over. That it was just a simple _fling._ But that string of fate weaved in a way neither of us had ever intended it to.

That, too, I knew he knew, for as I approached him now, for as I approached the lake separating the island he drifted above and the area that I stood on, he had _finally_ opened those brown eyes and the expression I read on them was the very same one I was feeling.

“I don’t believe it is yet time for us to meet Sky Child…”

However – his tone spoke a completely different emotion.

I continued to approach him and with every step I felt this profound sense of _wrong._ Not wrong in the manner that he and I have been doing all along – no, something _worse_ than that. I was being warned. It didn’t matter that I _shouldn’t_ be doing this – no what mattered was that I _couldn’t_ be doing this. I was the hero. I was the chosen one.

The chosen one _couldn’t_ do this.

I didn’t care.

“Neither was the night in Faron Woods, but that didn’t stop _you_ did it?” I replied coldly. This was entirely _his_ doing. If he hadn’t approached me, if he didn’t… I probably would have never fully realized just what it was that I felt for him. This was _his fault_. I needed to remind him. He needed to take responsibility. If he hadn’t… I wouldn’t have… We wouldn’t be…

“But it _should_ stop you – the little hero of Goddess – shouldn’t it?” Again. Wrong. Wrong. This was _so wrong._ And yet, his voice was intrigued – _amused¬._ He smirked, he sat up, but he did not allow himself to sink to the soiled ground beneath us. “But I do suppose that question is as redundant as it is rhetorical…”

Even with the lake still separating us, the air was stale, _still, **stiff.**_ It wasn’t helping the situation. Nor was the distance.

“Now tell me Sky Child, just _what_ is it that brings you down here?”

Neither was the tone of his voice. It was sending excitement through me despite my best efforts to fight it. I wanted him to come and saunter up to me with that jaunt of his and – No! I came here for a reason… I narrowed my gaze and looked him in the eyes, fighting off the nerves. Suddenly I doubted myself. Suddenly I wasn’t certain. What if I misread him? What if I _really_ was just a pet? A Gadfly? What if? What if…

“Need I remind you,” and then, that voice was next to my ear, his lips ever so briefly caressing the skin there, “that I take offence to my belongings ignoring me?”

The next moment they were gone and he back to his previous position. A threat, a warning... I could not back down now. We both knew that. Not since I had descended that silver thread.

…But also a _promise._

I swallowed and steeled myself. I came down here for a reason. I _had_ to say it. I had to say the words that implied so much. The words that were against everything I could bear, everything I had believed in. I had to face it. I had to stomach it… “I…” Tasting the words on my lips, I forced myself to continue. “I have hardly seen you… In fact, there was absolutely _no_ sign of you since we last met.” They tasted acrid, accusing…

There was a smirk on his lips. “Hmhm…” That smirk broke open and he ran his hand through his hair. “Hmhmhahahah! To think! She really _did_ choose wrong! But I cannot fault you. _Anybody_ would be jealous!”

_Jealous._

My stomach churned and _how_ I yearned to deny it. Deny the reason… Jealous, I was jealous! Jealous of Zelda, jealous of the way she had demanded _all of Ghirahim’s attention,_ jealous of the way he would _shrug me off_ in favour of her, jealous that _**she** was the one that he wanted._

Jealous because it wasn’t me.

I felt the whisper of his magic again, and now the demon lord stood before me and the back of his cold, black hand was caressing my cheek. He leaned in, once again letting his silvery bangs brush past me, and his painted lips skimming over my ear. “Worry not Sky Child. I do not desire her the way I desire you…” This time, he did not fade away into diamonds once more. No, he let his hands slide onto my shoulders and held them firmly. He dipped his head lower, letting that long tongue of his caress some of the visible scars that _he_ made on my body. “It isn’t _her_ who intrigues me with her dogged attempts at stopping me.” His teeth _dragged_ along my neck…slowly, sensually… “It isn’t _her_ that is standing up against me instead of running off like a coward.” He paused, he stopped, he moved ever so slightly. “No that is _you_ my dear Sky Child.” Then, as if to punctuate his… _claim_ on me, those teeth sunk into my skin. However unlike the previous times, this bite was gentle, before he almost _reluctantly_ moved away.

“But, you see, I have a mission to complete and duties _must_ always come before just mere pleasures.”

His hands teasingly slid down my arms before he vanished again – leaving me trembling in desire and _need._

“Gh-Ghirahim…”

Fire. My body was on fire. My neck throbbed, my ear tingled, my arms ached. He was eliciting _such_ a reaction from so little. _Hylia_ , had it been _that_ long?

(His words and my thoughts struck a chord in me: Long? _How long_ had I stopped my mission? _How long_ had I rested? _How_ much time had I given this demon lord to search for my best friend! How _stupid_ could I be?)

“Tell me.” His sultry voice echoed out. “ _Tell_ me just how much you need me. I _know_ you do my little hero.”

_That you sit here **needing** my touch for absolution…_

“I just _might_ be willing to satisfy your desires…”

His _promises_ (I knew they were that – Ghirahim wouldn’t **dare** let this opportunity pass him up) left me aching even more. I _knew_ of what the demon lord could do, and my body knew. A small part of me, _still_ , fought back. _Wrong. Wrong. This was so wrong… I shouldn’t. I **couldn’t.**_ And yet despite it ( _because of it_ ) I knew that even _I_ couldn’t pass this up either. Ghirahim was temptation, a forbidden fruit that I couldn’t get enough of. (Giving in made it _that_ much sweeter.) I wanted to feel his skin against mine, his lips whispering harshly into my ear, _his undivided attention._

“ _Forget_ about her.” I whispered harshly, not at all hiding that tone that made me sick to my stomach. (No, it wasn’t the tone – it was the implication… I _shouldn’t_ be–)

He appeared behind me, and the grip he had on my shoulders was preventing me from moving in any way to react. “Hmmm… Sky Child, what you demand is quite pricy.”

With a shift I discovered I could move _some_ part of me and I ground my hips against his, feeling that reassuring, tantalizing pressure. _Good._ Even he was affected it seemed… “Concentrate on _me._ ” Even though I detested it – _he_ thoroughly enjoyed it. Tempt him. I needed to tempt him just as he tempted me…

“Unfortunately,” each syllable was over exaggerated with his lips movement against my ear, “my dear Sky Child, your soul just wouldn’t do.” He let his hips rock back against me, a low growl escaping his throat. It rumbled against my back, and into my ear… “Besides, sacrificing your spirit would just be _such_ a waste.” His teeth dragged against my ear…

“I would rather **break** it.”

Despite his sadistic words, his actions were making my legs tremble, and I reached my arms behind me – relieved his grip had loosened just enough – and wrapped my arms around his neck. I tilted my head up just slightly to meet his brown eyes. “But then you’d just lose interest in me.”

Just as the growl, I felt his chuckle at my back. He took advantage of my slightly-stretched neck before he bit it – _harshly_. “Still, having the broken warrior of Hylia is _quite_ a prize… I wouldn’t just merely discard you. _No_. Just _how_ could I abandon such a prize? I wouldn’t – _can’t_ – allow anybody else to have you…” Sliding up my neck and jaw, he began to nibble at my ear again.

“You’re **mine** little hero, and **only** mine.”

He kept moving from teasing to erotic and back to teasing again! Ah! Fuck! Crazy! He was driving me crazy! I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t think! I arced against him knowing that yes, I _wanted_ this, I wanted just what he said. (Except for, well my spirit breaking and all of that) Why couldn’t this war stop! Why couldn’t he just give up his stupid quest?! I didn’t _want_ to feel this jealously. ( ~~I wasn’t supposed to feel it.~~ ) Yet I was still angry at Hylia, at the Goddess who coerced me to do her bidding, to finish her unfinished business. For demanding Ghirahim’s focus. ( ~~I wasn’t supposed to be here.~~ ) I wanted it. I wanted him.

One of his hands wandered down my stretched torso, the sensations only worsening my condition.

I whined.

His other hand tilted my chin and his lips gently pressed against mine. I relished in it. I pushed back, opening my mouth to his, letting him take control, _moving along with him._

I wasn’t supposed to be here.

I rocked against him again, I whined again, I cried out his name. More. _More._ I wanted more!

But I wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Oh _would_ you just be quiet?!” Ghirahim growled as he broke the kiss. His hand left my body and, with a snap of his fingers, the baldric that held all of my equipment was in his hand. He looked at it in an almost displeased, incredulous manner before he unceremoniously tossed it off to the side.

I sagged against him, a whimper escaping me. I missed the feel of his fingers dancing over me…

“Don’t worry about your sword, _It_ will be fine.”

I wasn’t worried. No. I wanted him. Him and his fingers. Him and his seductive words. Him and his teeth. His tongue. His lips. His… – wait was I supposed to be worried?

“Now, where were we?” His lips twisted into that smirk that I knew all too well before he turned me around and he resumed kissing me.

Again, I pushed back, _desperate_ for the attention, _trying_ to convey desire for him. And now, with my body facing him, I pushed my hips against his, craving _any_ touch. A moan escaped me when his hand slipped between our bodies – pressing against my chest. Impatient, I was _so_ impatient. Now. More. Here. Please. _And yet I didn’t want it to ever end._

(Because end meant reality. Reality meant…)

_You are so eager aren’t you, little hero of the Goddess?_

His hand moved so _slowly_ , as if he _knew._ As if he _knew_ I wanted him to hurry it up, and he was refusing me. As if he _knew_ I wanted our time here to be eternal and he was savouring every moment of it, giving me the illusion that it was _never_ going to end. As if _he, too_ didn’t want it to end…

“You are going to beg, _plead._ ” His words were harsh in my ear. “I am going to make you _faint_ from exhaustion, where you can’t move anymore, or keep your eyes open. And you will never want for another Link. No, you are _mine._ I won’t let another have you.”

That tongue slide up my neck teasingly, his nails _just_ barely pressing into the cloth of my tunic…

“I won’t let you _ever_ forget tonight Sky Child.”

“Ah…” I moaned again, grinding against him craving that attention. “Ghirahim…” The pressure of his desire against mine was an excruciating bliss. More. I needed more. (He wouldn’t stop!) His hand travelled down my body, lower, _lower._ It was _so_ close, those long fingers slipping under the fabric and—why was he moving back up?

A whimper left my throat.

He chuckled again, and _still_ not relinquishing that pressure of his hips against mine. “Just _what_ did I say pet?”

His hand felt so _damn_ good, yes, but I needed attention! “Ghirahim, _please!_ ” I hadn’t even noticed that I had used his name.

“You know better than that Sky Child.” He hissed against my ear. “Tell me what things you want me to do to you.” _Then_ he released his relentless pressure against my groin. “I’m in a particularly giving mood.”

I whined again, arcing my hips up. “Ghira-aaah!” He was making this _so_ hard. “I want- I want!” His scratches, his bites, the way his teeth and nails dragged along my skin… “Will you fucking _touch_ my dick already!”

“Ah, ah, ah. Now Sky Child, that isn’t the way to ask for anything, now is it?”

“Nnng… _please._ ” And _whose_ fault was it that I couldn’t form any coherent sentences? He was _so fucking_ amused at this! “Hylia damn it Ghirahim!” I cursed, moving my hips again – but to no avail, him having moving his own out of the way. I wanted to move – _anything_ – but his grip held me firmly. And… just when did I end up against a wall? My hands kept digging into his shoulders, his ministrations driving me crazy. “ _Please!_ ”

His expression was intrigued – _amused_ – but I could also see deep down, that lust. Oh how I just wanted it to take over and him to…

“Please what?”

Finally, _finally_ , he stopped his movements, and allowed me a moment to _think_. Panting, I paused before coming up with something that would hopefully satisfy this idiotic ego trip of his.

“Will you _please_ just touch my dick?”

…Fuck that sounded so embarrassing…

However, that seemed to do the trick, because that smirk turned into an open-mouthed grin and he wasted no time in moving his hand south and _there._

“Certainly.”

The moan I gave out was filled with release. _Finally!_ I bucked my hips before my knees gave out. (and oh how was I ever grateful for the wall now!) I had to move my arms and cling tightly to remain upright. _Finally!_ I didn’t censor any of the further sounds escaping me – a somewhat lucid part of me hoping that the sounds would persuade him to continue what he was doing, and _not_ tease me anymore…

His palm slowly moved along the underside of my shaft, sliding up from the base to the tip and down again – but he didn’t just stop there. No soon, his entire fist was surrounding me. _Pumping. Squeezing._ And now, with me clinging to him, he had easier access to my neck – assaulting the skin there with bites, sucks, nibbles, and the warmth of his tongue gliding over me. The pleasure he was sending through my body… I was already _so aroused_ from his earlier teasing, I had no place to put this building tension but _out. Close. Close. I was so---_

“Ah! Ghirahim!!”

But relief didn’t come…

His black fingers tightly clutched at the base of my erection and those dark brown eyes looking intently into mine.

“Did you _need_ anything _boy?_ ”

His other hand – which had been firmly grasping onto me and holding my hips – moved down, gently caressing the tip with the pad of his finger. “You just have to say it~”

I squirmed, whimpered, _moaned._ “You… _fucking bastard…_ ” I said through my gritted teeth.

“So… ungrateful. Here I am, willing to do _just whatever you wish,_ and yet all you do is sling profanities at me!” His mouth opened and his teeth glinted, his tongue licking his lips. Once again, he whispered into my ear. “Perhaps you just don’t _need_ it enough. Let me fix that.”

My purchase on his shoulders was suddenly gone and I probably only stayed stable because his hand shifted once more to my hip. I took the moment to adjust my weight against the wall, and my gratitude for the wall only increased. I was leaning against it, my hands clutching to the uneven surface for _any_ grip before a loud moaned escaped me.

Warmth, _heat_ , **wet.** There was _something_ sliding up and down, constriction… vibration…

_Oh Hylia! He was using his mouth!_

I was an absolute mess, all I could think of was the sheer ecstasy he was giving me! His grip held my hips in place – and a good thing too. I don’t think I had the attention to spare… Close! _Again I was so close…. **So damn close!**_ And yet _no._ I couldn’t. He… He wouldn’t let…

_Tell me what things you want me to do to you…_

_Beg, plead. Yes… just like that._

_Say it._

“ _Please! **Please!**_ Ghirahim! Grant me relief already! Fuck – ah – please I... I need – **_OH!_** ”

There was no elegant way to put it: I exploded. And when that sheer, blinding pleasure faded, I found myself on the ground, the demon lord wiping his lips with a cloth.

“See? It wasn’t that hard to say now was it?” Then he was kneeling in front of me, tilting my head up. “But I am _far_ from done with you, my little hero of the Goddess…”

When he forced his lips against mine I cringed at the bitter taste. Myself – I was tasting _myself_. I pushed him away, hacking. “Ugh!” I spat to the side.

He chuckled again. “I thought that you _enjoyed_ that~”

“I don’t want to – ugh – taste the results!”

“Tsk, tsk. You have _so_ much to learn that it’s _almost_ adorable.”

Out of all the things I had been expecting him to do it was not for his fingers to enter me at that very moment. Surprised, I couldn’t even stop the sound of pain that escaped me.

As if my pain was a trigger, his eyes changed and almost seemed to glow a sinister red. As if the restraint that had kept him in line this entire time had snapped. He grinned before he bit me again – drawing blood. I could _hear_ him relishing in it…

“So many… so many _things_ I want to do to you Sky Child…” His voice trembled and it seemed that he was struggling for control once more. His tongue lapped up the blood before he moved away – my blood smeared on his lips. His hand gripped my chin once more – not strong, but definitely not weak either. “You _tempt_ me. You tempt me _far_ too much Link.” Those lips curled into a smirk and then the fingers _that were still inside of me_ moved.

“Ah!” And my hips moved in response to that. Oh… _this just wasn’t fair._ My body was always so sensitive afterwards… and the intensity of the orgasm only made it worse…

“But, **no,** not yet. I promised you that I will fell you in battle. No matter how _tempting_ it is to oblige you in your sheer stupidity. To end your very existence as you cry out my name in rapture.” His fingers moved deeper now, and the pleasure he was causing was making that heat settle in my groin once again despite his morbid, sadistic words. “But then I would never get the satisfaction of breaking that lovely spirit of yours. And I just _couldn’t_ have that.”

He kissed me again, and while the bitter and metallic taste of my fluids was… revolting, I preferred that he shut that infernal mouth of his…

His hand moved from my chin and began to stroke me again. I allowed my hips to move in tandem, accepting that – _this_ – blinding pleasure that always came from this. From us.

He _did_ say he was in a particularly giving mood…

When his fingers left me, I braced my hands against the wall I was half-propped against. I moved my legs around him – and it seemed that the demon lord’s patience had run dry, for he did not prompt any verbal response before he slid himself inside of me.

While he wasn’t any rougher, or gentler than the previous two times, it was different. My mind wasn’t fogged with an overwhelming lust for him – he didn’t drive me _crazy_ before he started thrusting deep – _deep_ – inside of me. (At least with release of said craziness) I was lucid – far more than any time before. I could _feel_ him inside of me and _know_ it was him. That it was my enemy that I was with. I didn’t _need_ this as much as the last times.

No… I _wanted_ it.

Of course, the lucidity did not last long, and that fog quickly misted over my conscious thoughts. Moans were soon leaving me – _screams._ I was _begging_ for him to continue. Harder. More. Faster. Deeper. I was pushing my body back against him, using my hands that were above my head for leverage. Using the wall for more force. _Hard. Hard. His hips were moving so hard._ And with a slight shift it wasn’t just the strength behind his thrusts _no_. He was deep inside of me, so **deep.** My back was flush against the wall and – _oh!_ His hand returned to stroke me as he moved in and out. His other hand was stabilizing my hip, his lips whispering obscenities into my ear and teasing my neck and jaw and shoulder and…

My neck was craning back, and once again I felt my climax coming…

_And this time he didn’t stop it._ Screaming I rode it out, feeling his hips moving even faster before I felt _his._

Tired… I was getting so tired…

“I told you I was going to make you faint, didn’t I?”

His hips started moving again. His hand _still_ pumping me. His dick hitting that spot _over, and over._

_My body was hardly arguing another round…_

.xxx.

Eventually I could hardly hold on. I had lost track of just how many times I had climaxed. _Exhaustion_ hardly described me right now… Even the _thought_ of keeping my eyes open was too much effort… The haze was threatening to overwhelm me, and I wholeheartedly welcomed it.

But it seemed the egotistical demon lord that was Ghirahim just _wouldn’t let_ us part without some last words. I felt his hair brush my cheek, his lips caressing my ear, and his words whispering into my mind. “It is _such_ a pity that I must eliminate you soon…”

My last thoughts as the haze took over were that I agreed completely with him and that maybe _because_ I did, that this affliction was only getting worse…

.xxx.

When I awoke I had no idea where I was. I jolted up – but quickly cursed as pain surged to my lower back, so I eased back down. A hand supporting my back I looked at the ceiling, trying to remember what I did last…

A blur of red and green appeared and babbling. “…Okay?… forest … unconscious… injuries…”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Ugh… Groose slow down. I couldn’t understand just what you were say….ing.” _Oh… **Right…**_

I was grateful as Groose went off on an over embellished tale on how he found me in the forest, unconscious with numerous injuries, and how he saved my very life, and therefore Zelda’s life. For, as he babbled on, he never took notice of my growing blush at the realizations of what had happened… as I realized, from his story and status of my body… Not only had Ghirahim redressed me, and taken me out of the underground, he had also cleaned me up and put me in a place that Groose could find me. Just what was going on in that psychotic mind of his…?

_I won’t let another have you…_

…Was that pompous ass actually _jealous_ as well?! No, he couldn’t be… he was just a possessive maniac. But then wouldn’t that…

I need to stop thinking about that. Now.

Carefully this time, I sat up. Hylia, it hurt! The position we were in last night hadn’t helped at _all…_

_Such a pity…_

Guilt pooled in my stomach. Neither of us wanted the end result… Neither of us wanted to give up either. In fact Ghirahim was probably – **Shit!** Internally, I jolted. Ghirahim had been nearby! He had dropped me off here! And if he put together those descriptive images in the Fire Sanctuary… It was only a matter of time!

_I needed to get off my lazy ass and…_

“I… I need to go!” Carefully, I stood up and pushed past Groose’s concerned arms of support, and words that told me to rest.

“Well… at least have one of Luv’s potions if you’re so insistent ‘kay? You… can’t even walk properly.”

I turned my face, hiding the burning blush. “Yeah…” I muttered before leaving to the statue nearby.

It wasn’t just guilt weighing me down…

~~If only there was a way I didn’t have to kill Ghirahim.~~

.xxx.

When I found that I had yet another silent realm challenge ahead of me, I decided to take up Groose’s suggestion. I didn’t know if this constant ache would be with me there, but I wasn’t going to chance it.

_Wounds, he called them wounds._

I probably looked quite the sight. Did they only appear to be just wounds? All the bruises on my neck, the scratches and bite marks… (Then again, I don’t suppose anybody in Skyloft thought of sex being this rough…) As I chugged down the syrupy potion, I started feeling its magic almost immediately. The marks that Ghirahim left on me were closing up and the muscles at my lower back were loosening up. I looked down at my hand before closing it into a fist.

I didn’t want to do this… I didn’t… but I had to find the Triforce and put an end to all of this.

_An end to Ghirahim._

If only there was a way to spare him! If only I could free him from his supposed ‘duties’! Why? _Why_ did he have to insist upon this! If only I didn’t have _one_ wish. But… perhaps if I wished in the right way… maybe, just maybe…

_It was the only option I had left._

.xxx.

As I looked at the new temple, I doubted. Unbreakable, I was supposed to unbreakable. Hylia believed it. Ghirahim believed he could break me. ( ~~But it still meant he believed it as well~~ )

_To think! She really **did** choose wrong!_

_Something_ had broken in me, or at the very least it had gnarled, twisted and mangled. How could I be her warrior when I… when I…

_I didn’t care._

I wasn’t going to overcome the trial that was Ghirahim. I had succumbed over, and over and over, and over, and….

“Master, I do believe your final trial lies ahead.”

I knew… and I didn’t want to finish it. I had only one wish.

But I didn’t want to eliminate him either. But Zelda was waiting. But he didn’t want to eliminate me. But he was closing in on her. But… _But…_

I _had_ to go in. I _had_ to complete this. I _had_ to go through with this. No buts.

(I wonder – did Groose read the sorrow and guilt on my face? My hesitation? My _doubt_? Was his worry not just because I was ‘ _injured_ ’ but because he noticed that I was upset?)

~~I shouldn’t have been there.~~

And yet, I got the answer I wanted: I wasn’t just a gadfly, or just a pet. I wasn’t something easily disposable. And, now, somehow, I _wish_ I hadn’t. I _wish_ I didn’t know. I _wish_ I didn’t go. It only made my task that much more difficult.

For if I wasn’t a gadfly, just _what_ was I?

.xxx.

In spite of all of my doubts the Triforce seemed to accept me. My hand wasn’t burning in spite, the pieces didn’t reject me, nor did they fly away at my touch until I was able to prove myself worthy of them. Power, wisdom, courage… did I really have those qualities? I was _powerless_ against my attraction towards Ghirahim, it was my _sheer stupidity_ that gave him the final hint of Zelda’s resting place, and I was _afraid_ of the conclusion of this mission. I hesitated at the final piece. Courage. I needed courage.

(I doubted I had it.)

Once I collected that final piece it would be all over. I will have destroyed Demise. But what of Ghirahim? Would he simply give up at no other options of reviving his master? Would he placate?

…Or would he retaliate?

I didn’t want to kill him. I didn’t want to end him. I didn’t want to end us.

But Zelda would never awaken as long as Demise still lived… with an exhale I reached out my trembling hand to claim the final piece of the holy relic, preparing my wish.

_Freedom. I wish for the land to be free from the demon known as Demise. That his taint no longer plagues this land. That **we** can **all** be free…_

.xxx.

Why! _Why!_ Why couldn’t Ghirahim just have accepted this! Why couldn’t he have given in when all hope was lost! Why did he have to persist!

This… this was the side the demon lord had suppressed for so long… this was what was behind all of that restraint…

_I will take you down in battle, to see the light of hope fading from your eyes as you realize just how utterly weak you truly are._

It seemed that _I_ had to do just that if I was to convince him otherwise…

“Damn you Ghirahim!” I screamed down at him. “Damn you! You didn’t have to do this!” I unsheathed my sword, viciously slashing at every demon in my path. “You could have accepted it! Given up!”

“Why?”

When I had finally arrived there, he turned, a grin settling on his lips.

“Did _you?_ ”

With a snap of his fingers even more demons charged at me, sparing him a scant few moments, and when he realized I had disposed of them as quickly as he summoned him, he snarled.

“You’re _far_ too quick boy! Yes, I realize that a _simple_ child like you knows nothing of magic, but spells like this take time and a steady hand! _You_ demand that I sit back and _let_ you do your thing, and _yet_ here you are, and I very much doubt you’d be willing to reciprocate it! Like _waiting quietly like a good little boy?_ Hmm?” His fingers twitched as his continued to cast his spell above Zelda’s body.

I was afraid to charge at him… I didn’t want to cause Zelda any injury… But I met his eyes, hardening my gaze.

“You _petulant_ brat! I _promised_ you something, and _yet_ you try and take that away from me! By using that _damned_ gift of the Goddesses and ridding the future of Demise without a fight? You’ve pushed me too far! I’ve waited! I’ve waited my _whole existence_ for this! This is _my_ moment!” Then he sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. 

“You know what? _Fine!_ ” And suddenly Zelda went flying up… far far up… out of my reach… “If you’re so intent on hurrying to your grave, I’ll be happy to show you the way. I will _thoroughly enjoy_ fulfilling that promise.”

_Wrong. Something was so utterly wrong. I had been expecting – at least **something** from Ghirahim. But no. There was no smirk, no grin, no chuckle, not even his tongue sliding seductively over his lips._

“This time, there will be **no** heroic escape. I was a **fool** to toy with you and let you walk away with your life before, but I won’t make that mistake again. No matter _how much of a pity_ it is!

_How **wrong** I was to think that he was salvageable!_

I stepped back however when he threw his arms up and this… _curtain of darkness_ surrounded him. However, when I did so – I realized that the ground we stood on was no longer stable. _That we were moving up… and up… and up…_

“If _only_ I’d put you in your place from the very beginning.” His voice had changed. It was metallic – very much like Fi’s – and I could see why! Even his form looked like the spirit who inhabited my sword.

…Wait… did that mean…?

“Show a human a little mercy and next thing you know, he thinks himself your equal!”

No – _No!_

“Given my station, I had to maintain _some_ semblance of dignity, so I let you run with your life – _multiple_ times even. _Such_ a guilty _pleasure…_ ”

_And yet, despite this – despite everything. Those words. That tone… it sent a shiver down my back._

~~I still didn’t want to kill him.~~

“But instead of scurrying away like any creature with a basic instinct to survive, you just kept coming back. Again… and again… and again. I’ve let a mere _boy_ make a fool of me for the last time. You stand before a demon…”

When he changed into a sword – I had hardly been surprised. I had already surmised just _what_ he was. _Master. That’s what Fi calls me. Of course! It all made sense…_

“…or should I say, a weapon without mercy! For you, boy, I’ve prepared a most appropriate and humiliating death. I even have a pet name for it – I call it the endless plunge! First, I will take my time bludgeoning you, and when I grow bored of it, I will drive you to the edge and deliver a last strike to send you falling to your doom!”

“I’ll delight in casting your body into this pit and snuffing out the flame of your life! Watching as that damnable spirit of yours finally shatters!”

I swallowed and took a stance – preparing myself for our final battle.

_I didn’t want to do this._

_I didn’t want to. I wanted to save him._

_~~I wanted to save us.~~ _


	4. Freed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are not a lot of references to previous chapters/earlier in the chapter using italics — there are 3-5 maybe? They are in italics, and are direct quotes so you should probably knew what they are. Italics and bolds are used a lot in this chapter for thoughts, emotional significance and for changes in tone. I think it makes sense though! Strikethroughs are used a lot for denial.

White – that’s what they were. White. Empty. _Blind._ I stared into those blank eyes, and the only thing I could think of was blindness. The passionate demon lord I knew was lost in that blank stare. He looked blind, even if I knew otherwise.

_But in a way – I suppose he was. He was blinded by anger, by grief, by insanity. And **I** did this to him. **I** caused this… by my **cowardice.** By looking for another way, by **trying to ~~save~~ stop him.**_

_By using that **damned** gift of the Goddesses and ridding the future of Demise without a fight._

I had pushed him into a corner. I gave him only two options. I forced him. And so he did all that he could do – all that he knew how to do. Fight. _Kill._ Break.

Retaliate.

He wouldn’t give up. Neither would I. ~~Not on him.~~ Not on Zelda.

“Funny, isn’t it?” He said, circling me. “Just _how_ alike we are.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, swinging my sword out to the side. “We are _nothing_ alike!” Even though we both wouldn’t give up I wasn’t like him! He wasn’t salvageable – no matter how I hoped it was. ~~I, too, had been blind in my pitiful belief that there was something of worth inside of him.~~ “I am _nothing_ like you!” ~~That I wanted him.~~

“I dare to disagree boy.” He charged at me, kicking his leg high in the air towards my direction. I had to roll to avoid getting my head hit (or _worse._ )

_Was he taking me on without a weapon?!_

…He _was_ a weapon.

“Here we are, both serving our masters, trying to save them from the torment the other has caused them.” He smirked and jabbed at me with his fist – making me take a step backward to avoid _that._ “Oh so very determined to not let them down. Desperate enough to do _anything_ for them.” There was something so very _sinister_ about his smile. ~~He wasn’t him. He was different. Lost. Gone.~~ “At least I didn’t resort to killing hundreds – _thousands even._ ”

“Wha—”

He wasted no time in punching me in the gut. **Hard.**

_My fault. This was entirely my fault. I had been so **stupid** , so **weak** , so **cowardly.**_

I held my stomach, coughing, and seeing my red blood stain the orange and white magic circle we battled on.

“You are **just as guilty** of those lives as I am!” I challenged back, finally taking in his words. It was _him_ who had sent them after me! It was _him_ who started all of this! This war! This fight! This… this…

~~No it was over. There was nothing there in the first place.~~

“Perhaps.” He said and tilted my chin up before he backhanded me. “But their deaths don’t weigh me down, little _hero._ ”

I spat out more blood. His blows felt like a hammer – a chunk of stone or metal slamming into me. I couldn't let him land another blow... Physically or mentally. I ducked under another kick aimed for my head, letting my face set firmly.

_I would rather **break** it._

Break. He was trying to break me with his words. 

“ **You** started this!” I accused and swung my sword at him – the metal only bouncing off of him. But he took a step back. “ **You** are the one who stole Zelda from the skies.” Again, again, I hit him, slowly sending him back. “ **You** are the one who decided to endanger the entire world with your ‘moment’!”

I hadn’t expected the kick nor had I expected him to appear behind me – so close to the edge…

“But it was your beloved Goddess who sealed my master into these hallowed grounds. It was that very spirit maiden who chose _you_ to do her bidding. She, who _blackmailed_ you to complete this mission. She held your friend hostage, didn’t she?”

I scurried out of the way – narrowly escaping the fate he threatened me earlier.

“And yet it was **your master** who desired the power of the Triforce! If was **your master’s** greed that started all of this! She was only doing what she had to to protect the Triforce!” I scrambled to my feet, holding my blade firmly before charging back at him. " **I** only did what I had to to protect my people! To protect the land! All you and your master want is to destroy it!” I swung my sword more, backing him up farther and farther with each sentence. “ **Don't** even try to put the blame on me Demon Lord Ghirahim! On us!”

With a final thrust of my blade I sent him flying down, and yet I felt a pit in my stomach.

~~I didn’t want to kill him.~~

“Master, I suggest you use the momentum of the fall to stab him in the diamond mark on his chest.”

~~I didn’t want to kill him.~~

I glanced below, his chest heaving from the fall. There was still a magical circle suspended in the air below me, and more below that. I glanced up at my best friend, writhing in the air still far above me.

Save her, I had to save her. No matter what the cost. This was _my fault._

Swallowing, I jumped, my sword poised and I heard what sounded like glass cracking once it stuck. Beneath me, he screamed in pain, his body arced up, and the heavy breathing I had observed from above was loud – _so loud._

_This wasn’t good._

I quickly jumped off of him, fighting off the blush. _I had never heard him scream._ ~~I kind of wanted to now.~~ No. He wasn’t him. He wasn’t… I swallowed my emotions and turned towards Ghirahim, who had finally stood up.

And he stood there, his arm folded across his chest protectively. He was still panting in pain. At first his eyes seemed to glare at my blade before he turned to meet mine with his _cold, cold eyes._ “You wretched _brat!_ ”

I did damage. _A lot._ My eyes glanced down at the crystal which was now glowing bright orange, cracks starting to expand outwards.

~~I just noticed he was pretty much naked. I never saw that either even if clothes didn’t hide much.~~

Pushing that thought out of my mind I charged at him again and Ghirahim changed up his tactics in response. Now, he was defending that crystal, and fighting back with more fervour. It also seemed that he was refraining from giving up any attention of taunting me with his words, or degrading me, or trying with his hardest efforts to _break_ me.

It was somewhat unsettling. Was it that important that he concentrated solely on preserving that mark? And I was trying to stab it…

That pit in my stomach only grew. That pit only deepened with each scream that left his throat as my sword pierced through that gem. ~~As did my body’s own reaction to it.~~ It didn’t take him long until he noticed that, yes, this was having an effect on me.

We were on the ground now, and even though I couldn’t _see_ his eyes moving along my body I could feel it. And his lips twitched ever-so-slightly.

_Amused. This amused him._

But his face returned to that stern expression.

~~Perhaps maybe, there _was_ something salvageable. Perhaps, yes, this wasn’t completely hopeless.~~

~~I just had to find him again.~~

But I forced down that hope for now. I couldn’t let it take over, I couldn’t let it shine through. I needed to _defeat_ Ghirahim, yes, but perhaps I didn’t have to _kill_ him.

_I just hoped he would give up before I **really did** kill him… I only had one method of hurting him, and I feared that I may do too much damage than was salvageable._

“You may have won that round, but I won’t allow you to win any more _little hero._ ” With a snap of his fingers a sword appeared in his hand. And there was something so familiar about his walk – his _jaunt._ Yes, the steps may have been heavier, and louder, but I recognized it anywhere.

“Or will you _kill me too_ Sky Child?”

I wasn’t like him, I wasn’t. Why couldn’t he see? ~~I just wanted him to be free.~~

I lifted my blade, taking on a defensive stance as he approached. I already knew that those blows would not be like any of the ones I had faced before… They would be far stronger, with the strength of that hammer behind them.

I needed to get to that gem of his. ~~No matter my reluctance to do so.~~

…I don’t know just _how_ I had ended up with my back to the wall, but here I was. _Hard. It was so hard. He only gave me a moment to get in there, and each time I **hesitated.** He kicked me away and I had to scramble to my feet or face the sharp ends of his projectiles._

“I _must say_ , it is _quite adorable_ the way your hand _trembles_ with each opportunity you have.” He thrust his sword towards my head, and I had to jump out of the way as it stuck into the rock where I head was. I did feel a sting and liquid running down my ear however as his blade nicked me.

“What, don’t you want to _kill_ anymore?”

_I slipped up. I made him confident again. He was gaining ground on me._

His tongue – which was now silver as opposed to red – slid out and he licked his lips. “You are _so close_ aren’t you? Defeat me and your precious spirit maiden is all yours. _Don’t_ and well – I’m certain you can only _imagine._ ”

I blocked his sword with mine, holding it there – but still the demon lord leaned in, whispering into my ear. “But don’t worry. I _will_ ensure you see it. See as all that you have fought for slips through your fingers. I _did_ promise you that, didn’t I?”

_His tongue lapped at the blood oozing from the tip of my ear._

Using all of my weight and power I pushed him away with my sword, shivering slightly.

“Perhaps there is yet another way to break you~”

_Shit, he noticed._

Probably, he had considered such an option earlier, but he had decided that he couldn’t take any risks. That he had no attention to spare. But on solid ground I had lost my advantage of being able to throw him down a level and get a ~~clear and easy~~ shot at his gem ~~that hesitation didn’t affect.~~ So, he figured he could take a small risk. But _why?_ Did he not say he was not going to go easy on me? Did he not say he was no longer going to toy with me?

_You **tempt** me. You tempt me **far** too much Link._

This was stupid. This was _absolutely stupid and idiotic._ This was sheer suicide…but…

~~Maybe.~~

I felt Fi’s warnings against this. That she thought that the way we were doing now was the one with the highest probabilities. But that percentile that weighed against us now was _because of me._ It was something I couldn’t – ~~wouldn’t~~ – change.

I wouldn’t become like him.

At least with my idea, the percentile was up to Ghirahim. That I could use that against him. That I actually stood a chance.

I was going to let him underestimate me one last time.

I swallowed and let my guard drop ever so slightly. I let my strikes have less strength and accuracy. I let him believe that this was having a greater effect on me than it actually was.

I only hoped that he was going to do what I thought he was going to do… For soon I found myself against a wall – _corner even._ I had no escape. I had no way out except…

“I do wonder… what Hylia thinks, knowing that her chosen warrior had succumbed to the enemy when she needed him the most?”

My heart was pounding. Fear – I was afraid. I didn’t know yet. Was I doomed? Did I chance it all on nothing? Did _I_ underestimate _him?_

Was Fi right?

~~Was **he **right?****~~

_Funny, isn’t it? Just **how**_

_Was I supposed to be like him?_

_~~A murderer who stopped at nothing to serve his master?~~ _

_No! No! I refused to accept that! I wasn’t that!_

__I was so afraid._ _

_“You’ve lost Sky Child.” He licked his lips again – they weren’t painted. It was strange. “Completely, _utterly._ ” _

_My hands were pressed against the wall now, my sword still tightly in my grip. _Not yet, no. He’s still far too lucid. He will see it coming._ Subtly I slid it behind my back, hoping he didn’t notice._

_“I _so_ look forward to breaking you~” His hand that held his weapon was next to my face and he leaned in, close, _so_ close._

__Not yet. Not yet._ _

_His other hand moved, and I felt firm fingers trace over my groin._

_~~Shit I didn’t expect for it to feel this good.~~ _

_I gasped and my body instinctually arced towards him. I struggled to keep my grip on the Master Sword._

_He didn’t hold back. _At all._ “Look at you – revelling in pleasure as your Goddess slowly approaches her doom. Beautiful, isn’t it?”_

__Fight. I had to fight it. I couldn’t let myself become blinded. ~~But oh Goddess! It felt **so** good!~~_ _

_“Screaming as your very enemy brings you to absolution.” His fingers were slipping into my pants now, slowly, teasingly stroking me. “Just _what_ kind of hero are you Link?”_

__I couldn’t… I couldn’t…_ _

_“Listen to you sing! Praising _me._ Not _ her. _” He leaned in, nipping my ear._

_**_Now! Now!_ ** _

In a quick moment I twisted my hand and thrust the blade into his chest.

_His scream was right next to my ear._

My hand shot up to my ear and when I glanced up at him he was clutching at his chest, gasping in pain that was even visible on his metallic face, his breath ragged.

“ **YOU DEPLORABLE, MISERABLE WRETCH!** ”

_My legs were trembling. My own breath short and irregular. My form bent over. My head spinning. ~~More, I wanted more damnit!~~_

“I was **thinking** of sparing you – but **no!** ” The rapier vanished only for a large sword to appear in its wake. “You show **no** gratitude! Break you! Hah! It seems I must break every bone in your body first! I **will** ensure you suffer Link.”

But I quickly straightened out my clothes. I fought my arousal that had only worsened with his… actions. I had to fight _him._ I knew though, that it wasn’t much longer…

_He had to give up. He had to give up **or else…**_

.xxx.

…One more, one more strike. That’s all I could bear. With a last thrust, I winced at the cracking sound. I tried to block out the sound that escaped Ghirahim when I did. My head was swimming, and I was _so uncomfortable._

Panting, I glanced up to see Ghirahim down on one knee, clutching his chest even more.

“This… this is preposterous. Driven to my knees by a simple child of man. Laughable! No matter how many times we clash, I can’t prevail! You think I can’t defeat you? You think I can’t win?” But then his lips curled up and I felt dread fill me. He didn’t smirk without reason. “Heh…”

“Ah… But never mind that.” Then he glanced up, holding his head and hands high. “Victory is still mine to savour. While we fought, the ritual I started continued…At last, it’s complete! The demon king shall devour the soul of the goddess and resurrect in his full glory!”

And as he laughed maniacally, I watched in dread as the monster I had battled over and over in the future devoured Zelda’s soul, as that monster turned into something far more humanoid and yet **so far** from human…

“Don’t you see? It’s all over! You and your kind have lost! This world and everything in it now belong to darkness! They belong to my master!” And Ghirahim bowed, smirking but also smiling.

“Welcome back to us, Master.”

No! _**No!**_ I dropped to my knee.

_**This was my fault!** _

If only I hadn’t! No! **_No!_** Zelda was gone! Zelda was gone! Failed! I failed! I _let_ that **monster** take her! I forced back the tears. _The only thing left now was vengeance._

And then Demise turned to his servant – the one who strived so hard and for so long to resurrect him, to return him to his original form – and smirked. Then there was a wave of energy.

Surprise. Shock. _Astonishment._

~~I don’t think this was how it was supposed to go.~~

And even though there was a last chuckle escaping Ghirahim as his blade was ripped from his very body I hated it. ~~I hated that look on his face. That Demise didn’t even bother to thank him. That Demise just turned him into a sword without thought. Without question.~~

_His form vanished._

**Everything. Everything was my fault.**

**Everything.**

~~I wanted to save him.~~

Empty. I felt _so empty._ **Numb.** _Lost._

_I lost everything. Zelda, the world, ~~Ghirahim.~~_

And in that darkness I heard Groose’s voice. “Link! You can still free her! Defeat Demise before he has the chance to fully absorb her soul! The old Granny told me that!”

~~But what about Ghirahim?~~

.xxx.

_Was Ghirahim aware of everything that was happening?_

_Did Ghirahim feel as his metal cut into my skin?_

_What was Ghirahim even thinking as he was wielded by Demise?_

_How did it feel when Fi clashed with him?_

_Did it hurt him as that electricity struck his blade?_

_~~What would happen if his blade snapped in two? If the blade cracked?~~ _

__

          S          H          A          T          T           E          R          E          D          ?           

My hands shook, and Fi dropped from my grasp. I stared at them in hatred, _disgust_ , **revulsion.**

I didn’t…. I didn’t want… I didn’t want to…

**My fault.**

**My fault.**

**My fault.**

_I asked for him to be free. I asked for him to be rid of Demise. Was this truly the only way? That **he had to die?**_

_I will take you down in battle, to see the light of hope fading from your eyes as you realize just how utterly weak you truly are._

_It seemed that **I** had to do just that if I was to convince him otherwise…_

_**My fault.** _

_**Guilty.** _

_**Guilty.** _

_**Guilty.** _

~~I didn’t even hear the curse Demise had cast upon us.~~


	5. Deed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... thought... I...posted...this...already....
> 
> .xxx. = a change in scene/time.
> 
> There are not a lot of references to previous chapters/using italics — there are 3? They are in italics, and are direct quotes so you should probably knew what they are. Italics and bolds are used mostly for chapter for thoughts, emotional significance and for changes in tone.
> 
> Strikethroughs are used for denial.

_Freedom._  
  
_Freedom._  
  
_Freedom._  
  
_Just **how** was this freedom? How – how was I free from Demise?_  
  
_From Ghirahim._  
  
_I hated him. I hated Hylia. I hated this._  
  
_I was never going to be free._  


.xxx. 

Distant. I was distant. Zelda refrained from approaching me too closely, and Groose didn’t even know where to start.

_Maybe he told her that I was like this before. That I said it was my mission that changed me._

It had.

Maybe she felt guilty. I sincerely hope Hylia had. This was her fault! If she hadn’t…

_But it was your beloved Goddess who sealed my master into these hallowed grounds. It was that very spirit maiden who chose **you** to do her bidding. She, who **blackmailed** you to complete this mission. She held your friend hostage, didn’t she?_

Ghirahim wouldn’t be dead.

There was this gaping hole inside of me, this _yearning cavern_. Empty – I was just _so empty_. I didn’t know if I could ever fill this void.

I wanted to save him. I wanted to save us.

I wanted to save me.

.xxx. 

I had stopped eating, I had stopped sleeping. I had stopped living.

“…I have heard of this happening to knights…”

“…shouldn’t worry…”

“…completely natural…”

I heard Luv’s voice outside my tent. I knew Zelda was worried. I knew Groose was – _everybody_ was. But how? How could I tell them what was wrong? It wasn’t like I was going to admit that I… That I…

That I missed him. I craved him. I needed him. I wanted him.

That I loved him.

 _Yes_ there were **many** things of him that had needed correcting, fixing, calming but… but I saw this side to him that nobody else saw. I saw _life_ in him. Not just the emotions, not just the craziness. No. I saw something in that amusement of his. I saw a spark that only needed to be lit.

I wanted to light it.

.xxx. 

I spent a lot of time staring at the master sword – at _Fi_.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair! I _made a wish!_ Why! Why wasn’t it granted?

_I wasn’t free._

_But I also didn’t want to let go._

I caressed my neck, feeling as that void ached. As _I_ ached. As my entire body ached.

I wanted this pain to stop.

.xxx. 

Once, once I had thought about wishing upon the Triforce once more. Asking it to give him back to me.

_But that wish was selfish. It was a mere whim in contrast to my previous wish._

_But I wasn’t whole anymore_.

_Still, having the broken warrior of Hylia is **quite** a prize…_

It’s a shame he never got to enjoy it – eh?

.xxx. 

Occasionally, Zelda tried to suggest that I go challenge Lanaryu’s battles once more. That maybe the fighting would help me recover. That it would give me something to do.

_She didn’t know that’s all I did when I doubted myself. She didn’t know just **who** would be waiting there for me._

“No.” I would always tell her.

Just never the reason.

.xxx. 

I was deteriorating. My mood wasn’t improving. That void only seemed to grow and grow, gnawing at me from the inside. This affliction – this curse… it was worsening, and if I didn’t recover soon… I don’t think I would ever be able to.  
  
 _Master, I advise you do not linger here overlong. You have seen what this place does to the bokoblins._

This… emotional ailment would get the better of me… Perhaps I _did_ linger too long down there. That my emotions were starting to atrophy one by one.

_It was my fault._

Was this the Triforce’s way of rejecting me – after so long?

Was this my punishment because I loved a demon?

I still love him.

.xxx. 

“I’m going.”

“Wh-where?”

“I… I don’t know. But this is something I need to do.”

“Link…”

“Zelda, please…”

“I… come back… please?”

“…Perhaps.”

I didn’t know if I would be able to.

.xxx. 

Somehow, someway, I had ended up back here, staring into that darkness below. But this time, I _knew_. I knew I wouldn’t find him, lounging in the air, listening and waiting for me. Teasing and taunting me.

No, I was alone.

_You’re **mine** little hero, and **only** mine._

I would always be alone… With a swallow I slid down the thread, and descended into darkness. (I always picked this path. It reminded me of him, of _us._ How we were bound by that thread of fate…)

When my feet touched the ground – the very earth seemed to _vibrate_. I shook off the oddity and wandered over to where… where we met.

“ _Now tell me Sky Child, just **what** is it that brings you down here?_ ”

As his old question echoed into my mind I could only look at my hands. The hands that ended him. The hands that brought his demise. The hands that **shattered** him.

I didn’t know anymore.

“ _Sentimental perhaps? Isn’t that **adorable**.”_

Part of me relished in the illusion of his voice, and I leaned against the wall closing my eyes wanting to picture–

_Darkness. Alone. A small room._

I jolted. Just wha—

“ _Did you **honestly** just think—! Oh! Ahahah! This is **hilarious!** ”_  
  
I glanced around, paranoia filling me. I was going crazy, I was going crazy. The affliction had _finally_ affected my sanity.

“ _As much as I **appreciate** the compliment, my energy supply is already running low. It has been a **very** long time, and the slumber I have just woken up from is still clinging onto me._ ”

Wait— _no._ This… this couldn’t…

“ _Do I **have** to spell it out for you, you idiot? The moment **you** stepped down here, you activated the trigger that would awaken me from my otherwise eternal slumber. Ever since you defeated Demise – **yes** back then – I have been **stuck** down here. The only way I could survive was to enter a deep slumber which I may not be able to awaken from. Thankfully, I realized that if I slept until the present, my wounds would be mostly fixed, but the only indication I would have was **you**._ ”

My head was spinning.

“ _I figured that you would end up down here again someday, being who you are. Although I had never expected it to happen like this! Hah! But, back to my point. So, figuring that, I made a trigger that would awaken me – you, here, alone. Of course, this will not last long. So my dear Sky Child, I have a boon._ ”

I couldn’t believe… I couldn’t believe!

“ _Will you be **my** hero this time around?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM HONESTLY SORRY. I HAD INTENDED TO ONLY MAKE YOU GUYS WAIT A WEEK OR TWO. NOT 16 MONTHS....


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